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AFP Sport looks ahead to tonight’s UEFA Champions League last-16, first-leg clashes, as Liverpool go to Istanbul for the second time this season and Newcastle United prepare to host Barcelona again:
Galatasaray v Liverpool
Liverpool’s Premier League title defence collapsed during a horrific run of results from late September, and they face a battle even to qualify for next season’s Champions League. Now Arne Slot’s side head back to Istanbul, where they lost 1-0 to Turkish champions Galatasaray during the league phase.
A deep run in the Champions League would be a major boost for Slot, who has come under fire from frustrated fans during Liverpool’s slump. Significantly, German playmaker Florian Wirtz made his return from a back injury as a late substitute in Friday’s FA Cup win against Wolverhampton Wanderers, while Slot played down concerns over Argentina midfielder Alexis Mac Allister after the World Cup winner limped off.
Galatasaray held off Juventus in the play-off round, after winning 5-2 at home in the first leg and then losing 3-2 after extra time in the return. They lead the Turkish Super Lig and won 1-0 at Istanbul rivals Besiktas on Saturday, with Victor Osimhen scoring the goal — that was his 18th of the season, with seven coming in Europe.
Atalanta v Bayern Munich
Bayern probably deserve to be considered among the leading three or four contenders to win the Champions League, as the German giants chase what would be a seventh title in Europe’s elite club competition. Vincent Kompany’s team head to Italy with an 11-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga and having won seven of eight games in the Champions League so far.
With the Bundesliga title all but wrapped up, Bayern gave Harry Kane a rest and left Michael Olise on the bench in Friday’s 4-1 win against Borussia Moenchengladbach. With 45 goals in 37 games in all competitions this campaign, Kane is in ominous form, reaching his best ever mark in a season by February. In leaving the England captain out for the first time this season, Kompany said Kane had a knock on his calf and would be back to his best in a couple of days.
Atalanta knocked out Borussia Dortmund in the last round and have also beaten Eintracht Frankfurt this season, so will be relishing another test against German opposition. Gianluca Scamacca scored twice as they came from behind to draw 2-2 with Udinese in Serie A on Saturday.
Atletico Madrid v Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham go back to the Metropolitano, where they lost to Liverpool in the 2019 Champions League final. The current Spurs side is a shadow of Mauricio Pochettino’s exciting team, however, and they find themselves in the strange position of still being involved in Europe and locked in a relegation battle in the Premier League at the same time.
A long way off the pace in La Liga, Diego Simeone’s Atletico are fully focused on cup goals for the remainder of the season. The Argentine coach led them to the Champions League final in 2014 and 2016 but came up short against rivals Real Madrid both times, and Atletico are desperate to win the competition for the first time in their history.
Hosting a crumbling Spurs, they will aim to build a strong first-leg lead and try to capitalise on being in the theoretically weaker side of the draw.
Newcastle United v Barcelona
Having already beaten Newcastle 2-1 at St James’ Park in the league phase thanks to a Marcus Rashford brace and without teenage star Lamine Yamal, Barcelona will be confident when heading to Tyneside.
Hansi Flick’s entertaining side still have their flaws though, particularly the exploitable high defensive line which makes them vulnerable to pace in behind, with Anthony Gordon likely to cause the Catalan giants trouble.
Newcastle have found the going tougher in the Premier League this season after several years of sustained progress under Eddie Howe. They beat Manchester United last week before crumbling in the FA Cup against a Manchester City team that had made 10 changes.
Nick Woltemade started against City after a brief illness while Tino Livramento was on the bench. Howe said Lewis Miley will not be ready to face Barcelona.